1Cor 6:18-19 | KingComments | STEP | . Your body and the Lord belong together, not only at present, but also in future. Just like the Lord was raised up, just like that your body will be raised up. Your body is – and will remain in future – a member of Christ. . Do you not know that your body is a member of Christ? Just as you use a member of your own body, your arm, head, hand, foot, etcetera, Christ wants to use your body with all its members and capacities. If that stands out clearly in your mind, you will be able to immediately see why you cannot make your body a member of a prostitute. . To be joined to a prostitute or harlot means that you are one body with her. The proof of that comes from Genesis 2, where God instituted marriage ( ). Being one flesh, established through sexual intercourse, is something that belongs within marriage. He who has sexual intercourse outside marriage – so in harlotry – with someone else, becomes by doing so one body with the other person. The Bible calls a person, who is married and commits this sin, an ‘adulterer’. Only repentance and forgiveness can restore the damaged relationships. I will not elaborate now on the terrible consequences, but you can imagine the pain and sorrow that fills the hearts of the persons involved. The worst consequences come out of this sin. In an earlier comment I wrote as follows about this verse: ‘When someone who is not married commits this sin, then he or she is obligated to marry the other person because, to my personal conviction, God sees this physical being one as a marriage, even though this being one still has to be confirmed publicly.’ Now I have reread this commentary I must confess to the reader that I had to revise ‘my personal conviction’. That has been a while ago, but with this new version I now have the opportunity to tell it. My revision appeared to be necessary after I reread carefully what is written in the Bible. Also others have pointed that out to me. It is written that two married people become one flesh through sexual intercourse. That it is about a man and his wife, so about a married couple, appears from the fact that “becoming one flesh” does not stand on itself, but it is the third aspect that makes a marriage a real marriage. Read again what is written in Genesis 2, where God introduces marriage ( ). You read there, that there are two steps that precede the “becoming one flesh”. Those steps are 1. that “a man shall leave his father and his mother” (a process) and 2. then will “be joined to his wife” (the official wedding). Subsequently, after these two steps, follows that “they shall become one flesh”. This third step or this third aspect expresses the whole and total unity. When unmarried people have sexual intercourse, there is no mention of the first two steps. Therefore Paul doesn’t say here – and that is what has opened my eyes – that he who joins a harlot is one flesh with her, but that he is “one body ” with her. The reason why Paul refers to marriage is because of God’s purpose with it and that’s why he speaks about “one flesh”. Because of the fact that Paul speaks about cases regarding sexual intercourse outside marriage, he says that in those cases there is a mention of ‘one body’ and not of ‘one flesh’ . When I became aware of that important distinction, I also understood that it is not right to speak about a marriage when unmarried people commit this sin. That doesn’t mean that sexual intercourse before marriage because of the mentioned reasons doesn’t have consequences in the sense of obligations. This change of vision is mainly important on how pastoral care is given in such cases. God will grant power to persons who are willing to receive pastoral care, so that they will be able to bear the consequences and even to be instruments in a way that God will be glorified. I would like you to consider exploring in the Old Testament and in the New Testament as well, how God thinks about marriage. Now I will not elaborate on problems that occur in a case that the other person is married. One cannot but expect that sin always has chaotic consequences. God will surely make a way for the persons involved, when they confess their sins sincerely and wholeheartedly. The same goes for people, young and old, who are converted and have come to faith in the Lord Jesus and who do not have any religious background. The number of newly converts that are free from sexual immorality is decreasing more and more. It is often the case that they haven’t ‘had sex’ with only one person, but with more than one. What should you advise in such cases? That is not that simple. We should look at them on a case-by-case basis. One thing is clear: before someone is converted, everything he does, is sin. Confession toward God and forgiveness by God are necessary. The more someone speaks light-heartedly about his past, the less profound his confession will be. The awareness of the gravity of this sin should be made clear to such a person. The deeper someone is convinced of his former sins, the more he can be pointed to the forgiveness that God has granted him. When that repentance is clearly apparent, God will surely show a way to get through. . The believer belongs to the Lord, he is one spirit with Him. That is the unity that has been accomplished at conversion. This spiritual unity may not be damaged by a wrong physical unity. . The call is: “Flee immorality.” Do not ever trifle with your sexual feelings. Avoid places where you can easily be tempted to fulfill your sexual desires – which are not wrong on itself; they are given by God, after all – in an erroneous way. Sexual immorality has, among all sins one can commit, a particular place because your body is, in an extraordinarily negative way, involved in this. . Your body has received such an extraordinarily positive function from God. It is a house in which the Holy Spirit dwells. A Divine Guest has taken up residence in your body. Then surely your body must be special. At the same time it means that you are not your own anymore. When God the Holy Spirit dwells in you, He surely has all rights in and over the house of your body, hasn’t He? . Do you still remember how He received the ownership of your body? Not by squatting or by breaking into ‘the house’ of your body. The full price has been paid by the precious blood of the Lord Jesus, which He shed after His awful sufferings on the cross. Make yourself fully aware of that again; think once more about what the Lord really did for you. It is only through His love that He made your body His own, isn’t it? If you put your body in the hands of the Holy Spirit, Who dwells in you, He will use every member of it to glorify God. Therefore glorify God in your body! Now read 1 Corinthians 6:14-20 again. Reflection: Explore how you can glorify God with your body (thus with your ears, eyes, hands, feet etcetera.).

‏ 1 Corinthians 6:18-19

Glorify God in Your Body

1Cor 6:14. Your body and the Lord belong together, not only at present, but also in future. Just like the Lord was raised up, just like that your body will be raised up. Your body is – and will remain in future – a member of Christ.

1Cor 6:15. Do you not know that your body is a member of Christ? Just as you use a member of your own body, your arm, head, hand, foot, etcetera, Christ wants to use your body with all its members and capacities. If that stands out clearly in your mind, you will be able to immediately see why you cannot make your body a member of a prostitute.

1Cor 6:16. To be joined to a prostitute or harlot means that you are one body with her. The proof of that comes from Genesis 2, where God instituted marriage (Gen 2:24). Being one flesh, established through sexual intercourse, is something that belongs within marriage. He who has sexual intercourse outside marriage – so in harlotry – with someone else, becomes by doing so one body with the other person. The Bible calls a person, who is married and commits this sin, an ‘adulterer’. Only repentance and forgiveness can restore the damaged relationships.

I will not elaborate now on the terrible consequences, but you can imagine the pain and sorrow that fills the hearts of the persons involved. The worst consequences come out of this sin.

In an earlier comment I wrote as follows about this verse:

‘When someone who is not married commits this sin, then he or she is obligated to marry the other person because, to my personal conviction, God sees this physical being one as a marriage, even though this being one still has to be confirmed publicly.’

Now I have reread this commentary I must confess to the reader that I had to revise ‘my personal conviction’. That has been a while ago, but with this new version I now have the opportunity to tell it. My revision appeared to be necessary after I reread carefully what is written in the Bible. Also others have pointed that out to me.

It is written that two married people become one flesh through sexual intercourse. That it is about a man and his wife, so about a married couple, appears from the fact that “becoming one flesh” does not stand on itself, but it is the third aspect that makes a marriage a real marriage.

Read again what is written in Genesis 2, where God introduces marriage (Gen 2:24). You read there, that there are two steps that precede the “becoming one flesh”. Those steps are

1. that “a man shall leave his father and his mother” (a process) and

2. then will “be joined to his wife” (the official wedding).

Subsequently, after these two steps, follows that “they shall become one flesh”. This third step or this third aspect expresses the whole and total unity.

When unmarried people have sexual intercourse, there is no mention of the first two steps. Therefore Paul doesn’t say here – and that is what has opened my eyes – that he who joins a harlot is one flesh with her, but that he is “one body” with her. The reason why Paul refers to marriage is because of God’s purpose with it and that’s why he speaks about “one flesh”. Because of the fact that Paul speaks about cases regarding sexual intercourse outside marriage, he says that in those cases there is a mention of ‘one body’ and not of ‘one flesh’.

When I became aware of that important distinction, I also understood that it is not right to speak about a marriage when unmarried people commit this sin.

That doesn’t mean that sexual intercourse before marriage because of the mentioned reasons doesn’t have consequences in the sense of obligations. This change of vision is mainly important on how pastoral care is given in such cases. God will grant power to persons who are willing to receive pastoral care, so that they will be able to bear the consequences and even to be instruments in a way that God will be glorified. I would like you to consider exploring in the Old Testament and in the New Testament as well, how God thinks about marriage.

Now I will not elaborate on problems that occur in a case that the other person is married. One cannot but expect that sin always has chaotic consequences. God will surely make a way for the persons involved, when they confess their sins sincerely and wholeheartedly. The same goes for people, young and old, who are converted and have come to faith in the Lord Jesus and who do not have any religious background. The number of newly converts that are free from sexual immorality is decreasing more and more. It is often the case that they haven’t ‘had sex’ with only one person, but with more than one. What should you advise in such cases? That is not that simple. We should look at them on a case-by-case basis.

One thing is clear: before someone is converted, everything he does, is sin. Confession toward God and forgiveness by God are necessary. The more someone speaks light-heartedly about his past, the less profound his confession will be. The awareness of the gravity of this sin should be made clear to such a person. The deeper someone is convinced of his former sins, the more he can be pointed to the forgiveness that God has granted him. When that repentance is clearly apparent, God will surely show a way to get through.

1Cor 6:17. The believer belongs to the Lord, he is one spirit with Him. That is the unity that has been accomplished at conversion. This spiritual unity may not be damaged by a wrong physical unity.

1Cor 6:18. The call is: “Flee immorality.” Do not ever trifle with your sexual feelings. Avoid places where you can easily be tempted to fulfill your sexual desires – which are not wrong on itself; they are given by God, after all – in an erroneous way. Sexual immorality has, among all sins one can commit, a particular place because your body is, in an extraordinarily negative way, involved in this.

1Cor 6:19. Your body has received such an extraordinarily positive function from God. It is a house in which the Holy Spirit dwells. A Divine Guest has taken up residence in your body. Then surely your body must be special. At the same time it means that you are not your own anymore. When God the Holy Spirit dwells in you, He surely has all rights in and over the house of your body, hasn’t He?

1Cor 6:20. Do you still remember how He received the ownership of your body? Not by squatting or by breaking into ‘the house’ of your body. The full price has been paid by the precious blood of the Lord Jesus, which He shed after His awful sufferings on the cross. Make yourself fully aware of that again; think once more about what the Lord really did for you. It is only through His love that He made your body His own, isn’t it? If you put your body in the hands of the Holy Spirit, Who dwells in you, He will use every member of it to glorify God. Therefore glorify God in your body!

Now read 1 Corinthians 6:14-20 again.

Reflection: Explore how you can glorify God with your body (thus with your ears, eyes, hands, feet etcetera.).